Open Access<p>The APEC Digital Hub-WONCA Collaborative Framework on Integration of Mental Health into Primary Care in the Asia Pacific</p>
Author(s) -
Christopher Dowrick,
Ryuki Kassai,
Cindy L. K. Lam,
Raymond W. Lam,
Garth Manning,
Jill Murphy,
Chee H. Ng,
Chandramani Thuraisingham
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of multidisciplinary healthcare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1178-2390
DOI - 10.2147/jmdh.s271070
Subject(s) - mental health , prosperity , asia pacific , mental healthcare , health care , primary care , mental health care , process (computing) , business , medicine , key (lock) , nursing , public relations , economic growth , political science , family medicine , computer science , psychiatry , economics , international trade , operating system , computer security
Mental ill health affects individual well-being and national economic prosperity and makes up a substantial portion of the burden of disease globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Integrating mental health into primary care is widely considered a key strategy to improve access to mental health care. Integration, however, is a complex process that needs to be addressed at multiple levels. A collaboration between the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Hub for Mental Health and the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) is described in this paper, which outlines a framework and next steps to improve the mental health of communities in APEC economies. This paper notes gaps related to the integration of mental health into primary care across the region and identifies enablers and current best practices from several APEC economies. The potential of digital technology to benefit primary mental health care for populations in the APEC region, including delivery of training programs for healthcare staff and access to resources for patients, is described. Finally, key next steps are proposed to promote enhanced integration into primary care and improve mental health care throughout the APEC region.